“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions” -Dalai LamaEveryone once and a while when I get my hands on a really good book, I love to share it with as many people as I can. I know I am more likely to pick something up and read it if it has a review from someone that I trust, someone who’s opinion I value versus a stranger. I really enjoy reading self written books that align with where I am at in life. This year I have been reading a lot of books focused around living well, being fit and being healthy. I do this because by aligning my desire to be fit, slim, healthy, and active with the content that I am reading, it helps me to stay on track. I never fail to learn something new, or find something from these books that I then take with me into my everyday life and incorporate them as part of my new normal. The other reason that I read these types of books, which to me is the most important is that you can exercise like crazy and you can eat clean as you have ever eaten before, but there is a lot to be said about you being in tune with your body.This tool and a few other things I now practice in my journey are because of this specific book I read. The book is called PRETTY HAPPY and it is written by Kate Hudson. Kate Hudson has always been an actress that I liked. I often watch movies that she is in and I have always admired her figure (which I know would never actually be attainable for me, mainly because I am way too curvy- which is totally ok!) but I have often wondered how she is able to keep a healthy lifestyle while being a Hollywood star, and a mom!She starts off the book by exploring this very topic- saying that people always ask her in interviews what she does to stay slim, or how she stays so toned. She is real in her answers in this book, she talks about how she does practice yoga, or pilates, or that she works out how ever many times a week, for however long. But what frustrates her about these questions is that the answer is only a snap-shot of what it actually takes to look the way that she does, and that it does not tell the whole story. The truth is that, “ learning how to really take care of yourself, doesn’t happen immediately at all. In other words, if you want to make lifestyle changes…it takes discipline.” She says that she wants the book to be a map of how to really take care of yourself, both mind and body. She emphasises the importance of both these things, working together to create a space for you in your life to be Pretty Happy. And all this information is just included in the introduction.Throughout the book she shares that achieving this for her has been through the inclusion of four pillars that help you to become body smart. These four pillars include:

1. Cultivate an Intuitive Relationship with your Body
2. Eating Well
3. Awaken Your Body
4. The Miracle of Mindfulness

Now, I am not going to go into much detail about all these things and what they include because I really recommend purchasing the book, I have come to use it as bit of a bible. I have written down quotes from the book that continue to inspire me and I created a ‘Drawing Board’ for myself as she talks about in the book as something that you can keep coming back to, to help you refocus.Here are few of the highlights for me and powerful quotes that I would like to share with you that keep me going:“Take responsibility for your own journey and that only you can make it happen”“Understand where you are now and where you want to go”“When you really take notice of what you’re putting into your body, you truly can feel the difference in how you feel. This is body awareness”Lastly, she encourages you to explore your fears. To really dig deep and see what is holding you back (another great thing I didn’t mention is that throughout the book there are working pages that you can fill in as she is leading you through self exploration). She asks you to list quickly, without thinking too much about it, what fears came you your mind while you were reading that section of the book. I took the time to do this, and all these fears I have are completely within my control to manage: I fear losing momentum. I fear not seeing big changes. I fear having off days and that these off days will send me off track. I fear never getting to where I want to be.Overall, this book changed my journey. It gave me the feeling of more control because it encouraged me to explore some why’s, and really narrow down what I can do to achieve the health and wellness that I want for my life.Click here to purchase this book. Arm yourself with the knowledge and the tools to reach the goals that you want to achieve.And remember- it’s not just about being skinny- it’s about being happy. Hugs and Kisses,Andrea